Despite the criticism about the low quality of in-service
training, the training model is still expanding. Universities are opening more
in-service training courses, because they are the main bread earners for them
and for university lecturers.

T, a lecturer of a big university in Hanoi, said that he has to have 260
teaching periods per year at the university, and because the school lacks
lecturers he has compulsory additional teaching hours. Besides, he can register
to teach at in-service training classes. T said he cannot say exactly how much
he can earn from in-service training classes, but said that this is the main
source of his income.

In general, every in-service training lecturer can earn about 20-25 million dong
a month. (In Vietnam, those people with a monthly income of 10 million dong or
higher are considered high income earners).

There are different in-service training classes for lecturers to choose. T has
registered to teach evening classes, from 6-8 pm, because these are not peak
hours and he can avoid traffic jams on the way to school. T gets 45,000 dong per
period and 135,000 dong for every evening.

T goes to evening classes three times a week. “If I want I can register for more
teaching hours because the university creates favorable conditions for lecturers
to earn extra money. However, I still have to take extra jobs, therefore, I
cannot spend much time on teaching,” T said.

T went on to say that his friends, who are lecturers at other big universities
in Hanoi, have also been teaching at many in-service training classes to earn
money. With in-service training classes, lecturers can flexibly arrange their
time, while they do not have to take responsibility for the quality of training.

On the faculty of a big university in Hanoi, there are two main groups of
lecturers. The first is in charge of teaching regular training students, while
the other group is in charge of in-service training classes. In general,
lecturers of in-service training classes always have to go to the classes
organized in other provinces. After every year, the two groups of lecturers
exchange their working schedule: those, who taught regular training students
last year, will take in-service training classes this year.

A lecturer admitted that he prefers in-service training classes, because the
teaching not only can bring more money, but also can bring many other benefits.

He said that most of the students in in-service training classes have jobs
already and they significant experience in their fields. “My current class has
two big real estate traders who can show me the best way to invest in land. They
know a lot of good information,” he said.

“If you work hard, your income will be not bad,” said D, a lecturer. The “not
bad” income, according to D, is about 20-25 million dong a month.

Of course, when in-service training lecturers get high income from teaching, the
universities which organize in-service training also pocket lots of money.
Analysts say that universities nearly do not have any investments in in-service
training, yet they still can make large sums of money. The schools only have to
spend small sums of money on lecturers, and they do not have to spend money on
curriculums and material facilities because they can use the curriculums and
material facilities of the regular training classes for in-service training.

The Hanoi University of Foreign Trade has 2400 in-service training students,
while every student has to pay 3.6 million dong a year. As such, the school can
earn 8.6 billion dong a year from in-service training alone.

Meanwhile, the Hanoi Economics University has 23,000 students. With the tuition
of 2.5-3.5 million dong per annum, the total sum of money the school can earn is
a huge sum.

Kieu Oanh